The present invention relates generally to methods for the isolation and disposal of chemically and biologically contaminated objects. More specifically, the invention relates to methods and systems whereby objects with sharp points and/or edges such as hypodermic needles and scalpels are protectively isolated until they can be safely disposed of.
Chemically and biologically contaminated materials represent a potential health hazard to all persons who come into contact with them. This health hazard can be extreme in the case of powerful toxins and deadly infective agents such as the hepatitis virus or the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) responsible for acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS). Materials which present particularly high risks of exposure are those which have sharp edges or points and which are therefore easily capable of puncturing protective clothing and breaking the skin. Particularly dangerous objects include hypodermic needles, scalpel blades, suture needles and catheters as well as materials such as micropipette tubes and other glassware which can have sharp points and edges and are capable of rupturing the skin.
Individuals at risk from such contaminated sharp objects include not only those who directly administer patient care or work in laboratories, but also those hospital housekeeping employees involved in the internal disposal process. Increased training of all personnel will reduce hazards, but even the most highly trained health care workers, including nurses and physicians, sustain inadvertent needle sticks and other wounds. Significantly, many needle sticks occur in the process of recapping used needles. Essential though it is, training is not the entire solution.
Since generally only incineration can provide adequate assurance of a contaminant's destruction, there is likely to be a delay between the use of an object and its eventual destruction. During this period, contaminated products are handled by workers outside the health care establishment, including refuse workers, waste haulers and incinerator workers, who may or may not be adequately trained or supervised. The risks posed to these workers present a significant need for improved methods for the isolation and disposal of chemically and biologically contaminated objects.